I'm trying to fill out my college applications, and I'm a bit confused about what counts as 'honors received in high school.' Can anyone give me some examples or clarify which achievements can be considered as honors? Thanks in advance!
Certainly! 'Honors received in high school' refers to various awards, distinctions, or recognitions that you might have earned during your high school years. Here are some examples to help you understand what can be considered as honors:
1. Academic Awards: These include honor roll, Principal's List, National Honor Society membership, AP Scholar Awards, and subject-specific awards (e.g., Science Olympiad medals, Math Team awards, History Day awards, etc.).
2. Scholarships: Monetary awards based on your academic, extracurricular, or community service achievements can also be considered as honors. These might include local, state, or national scholarships. If the scholarship is especially prestigious, like National Merit, even being a finalist or semifinalist could be worth mentioning in your college applications.
3. Art/Music/Theater Awards: If you've won any awards or recognitions in the arts, such as regional or state competitions in visual arts, music, or theater, these also count as honors. Examples include placing in a statewide art competition, receiving a "superior" rating in a music festival, or winning a drama competition.
4. Athletic Awards: Significant achievements in sports can be counted as honors, too. These might include MVP awards, team captainships, all-conference or all-state selections, and state/regional/national championships.
5. Community Service Awards: Recognition for your involvement in community service or service-learning projects can be considered as honors as well. Such recognition might consist of a local volunteer organization award, a Presidential Volunteer Service Award, or other forms of acknowledging your community service contributions.
6. Leadership Awards: If you received any awards as a leader within school clubs or organizations, these can count as honors. Examples include awards for outstanding leadership in student government, club presidency, or recognition for organizing a successful event or project.
Keep in mind that not all achievements fit neatly into these categories or carry the formal title of an "award." As long as the recognition highlights your skills, dedication, or achievements in a specific area, you should feel confident including it in the 'honors received in high school' section of your college application, even if it may seem unconventional.
Additionally, sometimes mentioning a particular honor or award in the description of the associated extracurricular can make more sense than listing it in the dedicated honors section. Or, for other honors, perhaps making them their own extracurricular seems like the best way of articulating your achievement.
There's no one-size-fits-all way of organizing your extracurriculars in your college applications, but if you want to see some examples of strong activity descriptions, including several that include honors or awards earned in that activity, you can check out this blog post from CollegeVine: https://blog.collegevine.com/the-common-app-analyzed-4-successful-activity-entries-explained/
Good luck with your applications!
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